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Robson Report gets most items ticked

However, University of WA Professor Alan Robson said he was pleased most of the 30 recommendations from his year-long review had been accepted after its report was handed to the Government last October.

‘It appears they’ve broadly supported some of the changes related to the relationship between State and local government, changes to the structure of local government but have supported only some of the changes suggested for the governance of councils,’ Prof Robson said. He would not comment on the rejection and acceptance of specific recommendations.

The Government said it would consider charities’ rates status ‘in a further stage of reform’, before it rejected the other suggestions.

These included compulsory voting and alternatives to ‘first past the post’ voting at council elections, residents electing mayors, allowing party-political nominations and limiting councillors to three terms.

It did support such initiatives as publicising councillors’ pay, a mayors’ forum not headed by the City of Perth and putting council boundaries in the middle of the Swan and Canning rivers.